Frank Reider

Local restaurateur Frank Reider was sitting on the couch watching a ballgame two years ago when he became aware of an unusual feeling under one of his nipples.

Rather than ignore it, Reider scheduled a mammogram and sonogram.

"Everyone around me told me it was going to be negative," he said. "The week after Thanksgiving I was in surgery. It was cancerous. But because I caught it early I was back on the tennis court within a week."

Reider said that detecting his breast cancer so early allowed him to resume his normal life. The owner and proprietor of Gol! The Taste of Brazil, 411 E. Atlantic Ave., he is using his newfound energy to prepare for another busy season on restaurant row.

Last year, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure organization honored Reider at the Sixth Annual Pink Ribbon Luncheon at Woodfield Country Club. He received a plaque that reads "Not for Women Only; Men Get Breast Cancer Too!"

Reider had experience with breast cancer before his diagnosis. Two of his great-uncles died of the disease, his mother had breast cancer and he said he believes his grandmother died from it. Concerned about the genetic implications for him, his family sat him down at a young age and talked with him about the disease.

"Even though I was very young and healthy, I was aware of it," Reider said.

When he was in his 20s, his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, but it wasn't malignant. Reider learned to do a self-check.

"I knew what to feel," he said.

A few years ago, Reider's daughter was doing research about breast cancer. He was having discomfort in his neck, and she urged him to get it checked out. The tests revealed a BRCA2 gene mutation, which is associated with breast cancer in men. He ended up having neck surgery. "It was a minimal invasion and was taken care of," Reider said.

He now regularly checks his breasts.

"With men's breast cancer, I'm not embarrassed by it. It's an issue that people need to talk about. As with any cancer, I'm not embarrassed," he said. "I was lucky. I had my uncle in my life and a family that showed me about early detection and breast cancer awareness."